The present invention relates to a video signal transmission apparatus for encoding an input video signal to encoded data in a format represented by MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Image Experts Group phase 2) to store and transmit the encoded data.
In general, when a video signal is transmitted in a television broadcasting station, confirmation is made as to whether or not the video signal to be transmitted has been transmitted without failure. Conventionally, this confirmation has been achieved in the following way.
First, before transmitting a plurality of kinds of video signals, these plurality of kinds of video signals are once recorded on a video tape or the like in a order in which they are to be transmitted. In this event, identification data unique to the respective video signals are inserted in a VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code: television vertical period) or a LTC (Longitudinal Time Code: a time code recorded on an audio track in a longitudinal direction of a video tape) region.
When these plurality of kinds of video signals are transmitted, the video tape, on which the video signals have been recorded in the transmission or, is reproduced by a VTR for transmission, wherein at every time when one unit of video signal is transmitted, its unique identification data is read in the VTR simultaneously with the transmission. Then, the unique identification data is transferred to a computer which manages the progress of programs, such that the management computer confirms, based on this, whether scheduled video signals have been transmitted without failure. Simultaneously with this, an operator also confirms by monitoring whether or not the scheduled video signals have been actually transmitted without failure.
By the way, when a broadcasting station introduces a multi-channeled broadcasting channel, for example, by the use of a video server, the monitoring of each channel is inconvenient because it requires many hands.
In view of the problem mentioned above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video signal transmission apparatus which is capable of efficiently performing monitoring operation for a video signal to be transmitted even if multi-channeled broadcasting is introduced in a broadcasting station.
A video signal transmission apparatus according to the present invention has an encoding means, operative when a predetermined unit of a video signal is compressively encoded, for multiplexing identification data unique to this video signal in a user data region within an encoded bit stream, and storing/decoding means for storing the encoded bit stream data having the unique identification data multiplexed therein, and, when transmission is requested from the outside, for decoding the encoded bit stream data and simultaneously reading the multiplexed unique identification data to verify whether or not it is unique identification data of a video signal to be transmitted.
According to the present invention, when a video signal is compressively encoded, unique identification data is multiplexed in a certain user data region within a compressively encoded bit stream, such that this unique identification data is read and compared when the video signal is transmitted, thereby making it possible to automatically confirm whether or not the video signal has been transmitted in accordance with a play list. Thus, even when the multi-channel broadcasting is introduced in a broadcasting station, it is possible to efficiently perform the verifying operation of the unique identification data in a video data to be transmitted.